Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-09-22
Did You Hear Dem Bells a RlngIn'i

Last Thursday night in the solemn
hours, when witches are abroad and
"ghostesn walk the earth, the slumber-
ing inhabitants of our peaceful town,
heard through their deepest dreams the
vibrating clang of fire bells. This un-
usual sound breaking the stiffness of the
night sent shuddering horror through
the hearts of those who heard AMI ming
ling in the dreams of those who still
slept on, put one in deadly peril Of his
life in some terrific railroad disaster,
sent another painting home to dinner,
hurried a tagging school boy on his way
toward school, even troubled the dreams
of the race horse in his stall, who
thought that he was being recalled for
a fresh start. and sent one poor youth
careering offm miles into the country where
a great fire was awaiting his Herculean
efforts. The alarmed town sprang up
and tremblingly donned few scant
garments and still the fire bells tangled;
the firemen excepting those who walked
not and those who attended the ceremony
of kindling) rushed frantically toward
the wild beacon flaring against the dark
sky, and still the fire bells tangled; the
fire engine soon rumbled through the
streets, and still the fire bells tangled;
the hose cart followed fast and followed
faster, and still the fire bells tangled;
down the streets rang the sound of inn
patient feet and still the fire
bells tangled. Martin Jewell putting
like a steam engine came into town,
over hill and dale ON dead run. Stop
ping once in his mad career, 'half a
second for refreshments" in the shape of
a good long breath, something like a
groan escaped him but he still plunged
on. James Fischer in his distant home
heard the wild alarum, and in hot haste
hurried in to save his shop from destruc-
ton. One of the fireman in the south
part of town was after much effort
reused to sense of the danger, but
his course of action was materially i'm
peded. At the supreme moment-when,
having carefully and thoughtfully laced
his shoes, emitting not one hook, he
seemed to be ready for the fight, he
discovered that the coat he grabbed to
put on had tails, very modest ones but he
declared wholly unfit for service at a
fire." Mounting to the attic in the dark
ness he secured a sack coat and went on
his way rejoicing, just in time to help
haul the hose cart home. Breathes
there a man with soul so dead, who
would not prefer "total loss" to the
dishonor of having his house saved by a
brigade of men in tail coats?
And so by various. ways the whole
crowd at last came upon the scene of
action.
In the mean time few heartless
members of the fire brigade were calmly
and with kind of diabolical satisfaction
surveying the progress of an enormous
bonfire that cracked and snapped and
leaped and blazed as if with conscious
sympathy in this huge joke. But those
who stood there had bought their fun
by the sweat of their brow.
In the caller hours of the night small
group of men might have been seen
hauling mysterious piles Of fagots, and
brush as if for the kindling of a
great funeral pyre. A night Waterman
on Cirrus hight have had serious doubts
of their sanity, as hour after hour he
watched them piling the brushwood
toward the sky. But they had distinct
purpose beneath all this seeming folly.
The fire brigade must be tested and they
were the self elected men to fulfill this
awful duty. What fate might await them,
they knew not. They might indeed be
sacrificed on the very fire they themselves
had kindled, by an Infatuated populace
reused untimely from sweet sleep. But
sense of duty overpowered the love
of life, and nerved them to their work.
At one o'clock there flashed on the sky
the red light as of burning building
and simultaneously there fell on slum-
bering ears the frightful sound of alarm
bells. The honor of the fire company
was saved and the perpetrators of the
joke still live. There can be but one
possible bad result. II at the next sound
of the firebell, the firemen all turn COM
fortably in their beds and snore on, who
shall say that those who struck the false
alarm and klndled the false beacon,
shall not pay all damages not covered
by insurance?